Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, was airlifted to UAB Hospital after a jet ski accident on Smith Lake on Thursday.
Gudger was in intensive care late Thursday after a “brief surgical procedure to address internal bleeding,” according to a press release from the Alabama Senate. He sustained other injuries that are being monitored.
Gudger is in his second term in the Alabama Senate. He chairs the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee.
His wife, Heather Gudger, thanked first responders and medical staff who have assisted Gudger.
“… We offer our deepest thanks and recognition that each of them kept a difficult situation from being even worse,” Heather Gudger said in a statement.
“To those across the state who have reached out and lifted up our family with their prayers of mending and comfort, we feel your support and know that God holds Garlan in his healing hands. Everyone who knows Garlan is aware that he is a strong, tough, and energetic man who will recover from these injuries and continue serving the citizens of his district while promoting the conservative Alabama values that so many of us hold close.”
Details about the accident were not immediately available late Thursday night.
The Gudgers own Southern Accents, an architectural antiques retailer in Cullman. Garlan Gudger previously served on the Cullman City Council.